Rates have increased sharply since 2003, forcing homeowners to take greater risks by accepting higher deductibles.

The cost of homeowners insurance rose 36 percent from 2003 to 2010. An AP analysis of national insurance figures shows 14 of the 15 states where rates increased by the largest percentages border the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean.

Insurers said the increases are necessary to offset the risk they take in insuring millions of homeowners in harm's way, but angry customers question how insurers calculate rates and whether state regulators are being too favorable toward the companies.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially starts Saturday and runs through Nov. 30.

From the web

Federal agents searched three dozen homes Tuesday in California during a crackdown on so-called maternity tourism operators who arrange for pregnant Chinese women to give birth in the U.S., where their babies automatically become American citizens.